For Whom Does Death Follow
by Drake's Ghostwriter
Summary: Owen and Abby begin their new lives together and are tested with many challenges along the way. Making allies with new faces and making enemies from the past. Will their bond grow stronger or will they slowly grow apart?
1. New Beginnings

**Right off the bat, I would like to thank every one of the readers here for taking the time out of your day to read this story of mine. Being able to write to you today allows me to reveal all my thoughts and ideas to the world without having to show my face. As I attempt to take you on an adventure through the beloved** ** _Let Me In_** **universe, I will try my very best to keep everything conducive with John Lindqvist's original work** ** _Let the Right One In_** **and with Matt Reeve's cinematic American remake** ** _Let Me In_** **. I have decided to use the names of Owen and Abby with the physical descriptions of the characters from Let the Right One In, as well as change up some of the side characters original story lines to add some surprises along the way. I also made the artistic choice to change some character names to be more Americanized. If you read the book then you will notice, if you only watched the movie then it will all be fine. I will also admit that a lot of other Fan-Fiction regarding this tale has inspired me to right this story and I can only hope this story brings joy to many of the fans of the highly acclaimed novel. Please feel free to critique me, whether it be positive or negative.**

 **Thanks again and I hope you enjoy my story.**

 **CHAPTER 1**

Denver, Colorado: 13 November 1981

Owen stood on the last step of the train, one hand pulling the chest that held Abby and the other hand holding his backpack from home. He stood idle, pondering a past that would never be remembered and a future that was unknown. Owen never truly believed he ever had a purpose, he had always limped through life looking for a light and every so often it would come. From the police officer's visit at his school, to his successful attempts at thievery and even his murderous daydreams. Owen had accepted the fact that life was never going to change for him back then, any chance to escape the world was an opportunity to crawl out of the shell of a boy that had no ambition, no drive in life. There were no other ways to forget, forget the bullies who hounded him every chance they got and the fact that his father was out being successful as a detective while he and his mother had to fend for themselves. At times Owen even believed he could become the serial killer of his daydreams, starting with Jonny, then Mick, and finally the brains and the leader of the group, Thomas. Owen would then be caught by his father and his father would ask why, then Owen would simply reply, "you." Though even after all the dreams and the fake smiles Owen fell back down to Earth feeling more vulnerable than before. To Owen there was no future just a present life of suffering and nothing would get better. Then Abby entered his life and everything changed.

"Hey kid, you need help with that?" The coach attendant asked curiously.

"No thank you." Owen snapped out of his trance, lowered his head and walked on by. He did not want to draw any sort of attention to himself, and conversation between a child and an adult will do just that.

Looking up at the sun as it lowered beyond the horizon, Owen knew he didn't have to worry about Abby being fed and money wasn't an issue either considering Abby's supply. The hard part was getting through the station and to act like a normal young boy while doing it. Maybe ask for some directions and act a little lost, give them a show of normalcy. No, that would be obvious to everyone who had a brain that something was up with this kid. The best way was to move silently and nonchalantly, like the spies in the movies. Abby was his package and he had to prevent anyone from finding out who he was and that she was hiding. It would be easy, Owen thought. Although, at the moment his stomach could care less about his so called mission and it growled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Owen looked on towards the entrance of the train station where he could see a small shop that seemed to have all kinds of magazines and snacks, even though it was risky, he decided to go in regardless. As he perused the candy section of the shop, one thing happened to catch his eye. An _Amazing Spiderman_ comic and at the bottom of the cover page it said "IN THE CLUTCHES OF DOC OCK". Owen may not have read this one but he knew how it would end, Spiderman near defeat would find the inner strength to concur his foe and save the day. Owen wished it could be that easy, be the hero of his own story and live happily ever after but this is reality and in reality, only the strong survive and the survivors get strong. Thats how it was going to be from now on with Abby, and he knew if they were going to be happy he would have to be stronger than he was in Los Alamos.

While looking at the comic book, Owen kept a couple of candies in his hand and slipped them in his pocket just like back home, one of the few skills he actually had been proud of. He grabbed a large bag of Reese's Pieces and placed it on the counter in front of the cashier.

"One dollar", the man asked, obviously not too happy to be working the register.

As Owen placed the dollar on the counter an emergency alert came out on the TV behind the cashier. Luckily for Owen the TV was on mute and the cashier paid it no mind, because the news already had headlines of a missing boy from Los Alamos, New Mexico with a clear picture of Owen Ericson in the clothes he had on now, an overly-sized grey winter coat and black jeans. He definitely was not surprised at his mother having that picture, she always had ridiculous things of Owen. Although this time her corny motherly actions could mean trouble for both Abby and him. Owen knew he had to get going and find that taxi now, so he grabbed the Reese's Pieces and walked briskly towards the entrance.

Poking his head outside, looking right then looking left, he made sure there were no police patrolling outside. That would mean big trouble for him and it would also mean the end of a journey that has barely begun. A new life with Abby, something great, all ended because he couldn't keep from getting caught. When he actually thought about it it actually sounded harder than he had originally thought but it didn't make things any easier thinking about the problem. Owen just had to get going, and he did, as his scan for the police brought good news. All clear.

Multiple taxis happened to be waiting outside, but one in particular caught Owen's eye. A man smoking and sitting against his yellow vehicle, showing no care for the world, would be his and Abby's vessel to a new life. There was just something about smokers that reminded him about Tommy from back home and if he was anything like Tommy, he wouldn't ask any questions. Owen chuckled a little bit at the thought of Tommy and what he would say right now, "Owen you actually grew a pair. Im glad you did something for once." Maybe he was a little nicer in his head but there would definitely be some type of praise from him, whether verbal or nonverbal. Any praise from him would be great since, considering his old circumstances, Tommy was one of his only friends back home. That is why he left him a note about his whereabouts, right at the hideout where Owen had been caught snooping around. Owen had only hoped that Tommy would just take it as a sign of friendship. Even if Tommy was three years older, Tommy was there with the tough advice and that was appreciated now even more than before. Owen hoped his letter would not come back to bite him but he knew that was the least of his worries for now.

As Owen walked towards the taxi driver, he whispered to himself, "be like Tommy". He hoped the man would just take the money, ask for the name of where he needed to go, and drive. Exactly what Owen needed, just to get from point A to point B. No friendly conversation, not someone worried about a child this late into the afternoon, just a source of money and no care in the world. Just like Tommy.

"Yeah need a ride?" The driver said after taking a toke from his cigarette. Owen simply replied with a nod and handed him a note.

"Dusk Hotel." The driver read out loud and with a point of his thumb he directed Owen towards the backseat. "Got it, get in kid." He threw his cigarette at the ground.

Owen was relieved, the driver didn't even offer to help him put his luggage into the cab's trunk. Which was actually good, because he would not allow for anyone but himself to handle Abby. Slowly and carefully, he lifted her into the trunk. Even if Abby would be awake shortly, he didn't want to disturb her rest because he knew what she could become. Owen placed her down and immediately felt sorry. She definitely didn't deserve to be left in the trunk of a taxi but it would have to do if they were going to get to where they needed to go.

Settling in to the worn down back seat of the vehicle, Owen rested his head against the chilly glass window and closed his eyes. Immediately he began to dream about Abby running into his arms and all he could do was smile. Owen felt in control and he felt wanted, that's all he ever really needed. That is something he never really got back at Los Alamos, the cold hell of a place that would have probably pulled him down into an abyss of sorrow and depression. He was glad to be gone and even more excited to be with Abby. That was why he was dreaming about her. Dreaming about a better future with someone he had just fell in love with, a someone he had hoped to spend the rest of his life with. Then his head jerked forward and he quickly awoke feeling groggy and a little lost.

"We're here man, 25 bucks." The man looked back at him awaiting the money from Owen.

Owen handed the man 30 dollars and walked to the back of the taxi. The trunk door bounced upwards and he wrapped his arms around the box, walked towards the sidewalk and placed Abby down on the ground. As he looked up at the large florescent sign that read _Dusk Hotel,_ Owen could hear loud dance music coming from inside. The windows were fully tinted and he was unable to look within the establishment. He looked down at the large chest that contained Abby and thought, "Where are we Abby?" Thats when the man who was his taxi driver yelled out from the driver side to catch Owen's attention.

"Hey blondie! Take this, in case yeah need another ride or just need some help. I like to keep the same customers." The man gave him a smirk and a wink then extended his arm out the passenger window.

Owen grabbed the card cautiously, not really sure what to think or say but he decided a simple thanks was enough. Then the man drove off into the night and Owen redirected his attention to Abby.

"You ready to come out?" He asked.

Abby tapped out single letters in the morse code they had learned, C-L-E-A-R-?, Owen actually had to think without the notes he had written back home. Then, like an epiphany, Owen realized what she was trying to say.

"Yes, its all clear." Owen unlatched the chest and raised the top. He admired how gracefully Abby climbed out of the chest that was holding her in place for hours, almost snake-like, she got to her feet.

"What now?" Owen wondered.

"We go in." Abby walked forward toward the entrance and Owen followed close behind.


	2. Waking Up

**I would like to take the time to thank you, the readers, again for giving me the chance to tell you my version of John Ajvide Lindqvist's hit story,** _ **Let the Right One In**_ **. I plan on making this a long series in order to develop these characters for a future project that has been sitting in the back of my mind. Until then, sit back and enjoy the rest of the story. Thank you and have a good read!**

 **CHAPTER 2**

Los Alamos, New Mexico: 14 November 1981

Tommy hung his head, emotionless and eyes staring blankly at his upturned palms. Every so often he would blink, ever so slowly and without purpose other than to inadvertently remind himself of the horror that he witnessed in that storage room. A pile of flesh and blood, pieces of muscle tissue, and the severely crushed head. Anything that was still intact, continued to move. As if it wanted to rise, as if the thing still had some will to live. It was a reoccurring nightmare and what made it worse was the fact that Tommy didn't have to sleep to live it.

He sat on his mother's couch, swaying slowly and uncontrolled, side to side, as if in a trance like state of emotionless slumber. Tommy was in and out of reality, whispering to himself, ' _Two thousand and ninety-three elephants on a teensy spider web…thought it was fun…went and got a friend_ '. An old rhyme that his deceased father would recite to calm him. Though now it is almost as sign of Tommy's insanity that worsens day by day.

There is an inner voice, the voice that keeps attempting to break Tommy out of his vegetative state. It is his own voice, trapped inside his own head.

 _ **Wake up! This won't end here, remember everything you told Oscar…**_

Tommy could see blood on his hands, although clearly not there, his mind was broken and very much stuck in the past. Back to the time when he nearly destroyed that face, the body. He kept swinging and swinging the trophy that was now a weapon, until the body stopped moving. There lied the problem, the body itself wouldn't stop moving no matter how deformed it became. It was nearly a pile of pulp when his step-father, Steven, came in and grabbed the trophy from his hands. Even then the abomination that laid before him, still twitched with life. That was the moment he broke.

The moment that told him, the undead were real and definitely dangerous. Even when Abby had taken his blood for her own consumption, Tommy still had doubts. That maybe the girl was crazy and truly believed in the fallacy of being a vampire. A creature bound to the night and forced to drink human blood. It was out of the question. Vampires weren't real, and that was that. It all become all too real when he had to fight for his life against what amounted to nothing more than a corpse. Now vampires existed and they were still out there. This is what sent Tommy into despair, and what left behind a husk of what he once was.

 _ **Take your own damned advice!**_

Nothing could draw Tommy out of his current being. When his Mom and Steven spoke, it was mumbled, and the only reason he knew there was sound was due to the human contact that would follow. They shook him, they caressed him, and they even moved him to different rooms for his basic needs, such as sleeping, eating and to use the bathroom, but to no avail. Tommy shut the world out, which was the only way his consciousness knew how to respond.

When the police came with questions, which was no surprise as even Steven had thought that Tommy was behind the burglary of a radio store a week and a half ago, it wasn't that out of the question he killed someone. That was before all the facts started coming together. The man that Tommy had 'killed' was already dead, he had committed suicide by jumping out of the hospital that he was admitted into. The police then realized that the man was the murderer who strung up a teenage boy and drained him of his blood. What the police didn't know was that all of these intertwining clues hit Tommy all at once the moment he stepped away from that corpse the night of his incident.

Tommy had remembered seeing the man with the girl, who had just paid him for blood. Then thought about the fact that the first kid murdered in Los Alamos was bled dry and no pool of blood was left under him. All it took was Tommy's imagination of the undead and what he knew of the strange events happening in his town, to send him spiraling down into insanity.

That was all before the police began talking about how that pile of meat was the murderer. In a sense, the police had sealed up Tommy's fate and they didn't even know it.

 _ **You can't give up…after all you've been through…all that you now know…**_

Tommy turned his head towards the living room window and stood up. That was the first movement he made without the help of either his Mother or Steven.

"Oh Tommy!" His mother's cry could be heard from behind him, "Steven come! He's moving again." The thumping of footsteps grew louder as Tommy stood near the window.

Tommy felt his Mother's arms wrap around his body and her head against his back. He could feel the tears soak through his clothes as he stood still emotionless, still not there.

His mind fought over the choice of whether to fight and live or to shut down and die. It wanted him to forget everything so badly, just so he could waste away and die. Although his mind and body wanted to hide away, Tommy's true self wanted to move, wanted to think, and wanted the truth. What was the thing he killed in the storage room? Who was the girl that took his blood? What really happened in Los Alamos?

Tommy had no answers but he did know there was one common factor in all of this mess, Oscar.

 _ **That's it! Oscar. What did you tell Oscar the first time he came up to you all beaten and bloodied?**_

His body was coming back to him and his mind became free of the fog that clouded over his thoughts. Tommy looked down and began thinking.

 _ **Remember your own damned advice!**_

Tommy remembered Oscar. Remembered all they're encounters. He always had a soft side for Oscar and maybe that was because he actually thought of him as a friend. Tommy had a flashback of Oscar walking away from him, clearly he was sad but he never talked about what was wrong. Then he remembered it all too clearly.

 _ **Fight back!**_

Tommy snapped to attention as if he had just awoken from a deep sleep then asked, "Can I use the phone mom? Please?"

"What for?" His mother replied, clearly shocked by her son's random question after being out of his mind for a whole week.

Tommy had to think of the right way to say this, or his plan wouldn't work, "I have to let Robert know that I'm okay. They've gotta be worried."

"Okay," was all his Mother could say.

Tommy then walked to the phone near his room and dialed Robert's number. Robert answered in a surprised tone.

"Tommy? Is that you?"

"Yeah dude."

"What happened to you? I heard you went to shit!"

"Look, I'll tell yeah everything in a minute but I need your help right now. Got it?"

"Uh, yeah, what's up?"

Tommy looks over his shoulder to make sure his Mother, and definitely not Steven, are looming around the corner listening in, "I need you to let Larry know…that we're meeting up at midnight. Tonight."

"Wait, what?" Robert answers, baffled by how straightforward Tommy is. "Cops are all over this fucking town! We'll get caught and they'll try to tie us with the damned crime we pulled!"

"Grow a pair of balls and just do it, okay? Fucking trust me," Tommy listens but there is only silence on the other end. "Hey, can you do that for me?" Tommy asks again.

"Fucken hell Tommy, fine. I'll see you tonight," Robert hangs up the phone and Tommy lets out a sigh of relief.

Tommy walks down the stairs, acting groggy and disoriented, still trying to play as if he just broke out of his previous state of being. He can see Steven in the kitchen drinking what looks like water and his Mother is laying on the couch. Tommy looks to the small table by the apartment door and sees an envelope with his name on it. Tommy looks towards Steven, then towards his Mother, and quickly snatches the envelope and hides it in the waste of his pants, under his shirt. Tommy then walked to his room and shut the door.

With the envelope in his hand, he looked at the front first, which had a clear outline of money but he could not tell how much was inside. Then Tommy looked at his name on the back of the envelope and thought to himself, a slight smile on his face, "Oscar, you're just full of surprises aren't you."


End file.
